Sleep System

littlebuf

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What is a great... Not GOOD, but GREAT overall weight for an entire sleep system for average fall weather. I am talking lows no lower than 20 degrees, give or take. I know this is quite subjective, but what would most of you consider a great overall weight.

Sleeping Bag
Tent/Tarp
Pad
Add Bivy for those that take one with




mine weighs 4.7 pounds.and im comfortable with it to the teens and lower with some more clothes. don't know if that's "great" but it sure is comfy for under 5 pounds total
 

Lawnboi

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What is a great... Not GOOD, but GREAT overall weight for an entire sleep system for average fall weather. I am talking lows no lower than 20 degrees, give or take. I know this is quite subjective, but what would most of you consider a great overall weight.

Sleeping Bag
Tent/Tarp
Pad
Add Bivy for those that take one with

Don't know if its great, but it works

Woobie express or doobie or 20* slick bag dependent on weather 1-2lbs
Paratarp w/ cordage and stakes 1lb
Zlite pad 14oz
ID bugaboo 1lb 6oz

So in all around 5lbs depending on how warm I want to be. Or how many extra cloths I have. I don't have the slick bag yet but everything else iv listed works very well. The woobie express also doubles as my insulating layer. This setup is also pretty bombproof.
 
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i would say 5lb should be the cap and you better be very comfortable at that weight. i wouldnt see it difficult to get below that but might not have 50sqft of coverage and a 3.5in pad
 
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5 lbs was what I am shooting for and so far I will be below that. Was just wondering what others figured. For the past 3 years I have been at 7-8 with marginal gear... It still worked fine and I didn't die, but this year it will be much better and a bit lighter.
 

Justin Crossley

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My system for this year is:

Hexamid Solo Plus 5.1 oz
Ti Stakes 2 oz
Raven Omni Bivy 7 oz
Thermarest Xtherm 15 oz
Zpacks 30* Quilt 14.4 oz

Total weight is 43.5 oz or 2.72 lbs.

I will be good down to 20* with my clothes if not colder.
 
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coOverwatch

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Yes, I agree that 5.5 lbs for just 1 part of the sleeping setup is a bit much, unless you are letting the horse carry it.

I am not knocking the quilt option, I just have never had the opportunity to try it out. I am not one to jump blindly into new gear like that without having tried it out or know someone personally that has.(no offense)

I appreciate all the comments and direction. I have never really had to watch the equipment weight as I always let the horse haul it. Now that I am going to be the horse it is a bit difficult to decide on what is an acceptable weight for a piece of equipment. Plus I have to buy two as the wife doesn’t always want to be left behind.

So far my sleep gear is as follows.

ID Bugaboo 1lb 6oz
Big Agnes Insulated air core / Thermarest Z-Lite ?/14oz
FeatherLite 20* bag. (good to not much under 20* ) 1.5 lb
 
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coOverwatch

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Also, wife thinks I am nuts for not being able to pick out a damn sleeping bag.
I know if I get it wrong for her and she is cold then I might not make it out of the woods alive.
 

O'Really

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I use a Wiggy's Glacier Hunter bag, along with a NeoAir XLite pad. The one thing I really appreciate on the Wiggys, is the quality, heavy duty zipper. Nothing worse than having zipper problems with one's sleeping bag.
 

Becca

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Luke and I each have a wiggy's bag (I forget which models, but they each are a bag with an optional overbag--I think mine is rated to -30 and Luke's to 0).
For summer or early fall trips where we don't expect super cold/wet weather, we use our down bags or quilts instead, but there are some circumstances in which the Wiggy's are well worth their weight and bulk. Synthetic fill means they provide warmth even if they get wet, making them a good choice for very wet conditions (think Kodiak island in October or November). Because they are the warmest rated bags we own, they also get the nod for winter camping trips. Most often use them when we can haul them with snowmachines (mobiles for you lower 48 folks) or ATVs, but we have backpacked with them a couple of times when we felt the extra insurance was worth the weight. We got one bag with left zip and one with right so that we can zip them together into a double bag when we want to.

As someone else mentioned, they are well made with super stout zippers. I have never been cold in mine yet. Leaving tomorrow for 5 nights winter camping/ice fishing/ptarmigan hunting and my wiggy's bag was the obvious choice....

PA080875.jpg
 
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Luke and I each have a wiggy's bag (I forget which models, but they each are a bag with an optional overbag--I think mine is rated to -30 and Luke's to 0).
For summer or early fall trips where we don't expect super cold/wet weather, we use our down bags or quilts instead, but there are some circumstances in which the Wiggy's are well worth their weight and bulk. Synthetic fill means they provide warmth even if they get wet, making them a good choice for very wet conditions (think Kodiak island in October or November). Because they are the warmest rated bags we own, they also get the nod for winter camping trips. Most often use them when we can haul them with snowmachines (mobiles for you lower 48 folks) or ATVs, but we have backpacked with them a couple of times when we felt the extra insurance was worth the weight. We got one bag with left zip and one with right so that we can zip them together into a double bag when we want to.

As someone else mentioned, they are well made with super stout zippers. I have never been cold in mine yet. Leaving tomorrow for 5 nights winter camping/ice fishing/ptarmigan hunting and my wiggy's bag was the obvious choice....

PA080875.jpg

this situation is not a big deal to haul 5lb of bag, i often haul lots of beer for trips like this as youre not planning for your pack to end MUCH heavier by the end of the trip... .02
 
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North Idaho
I use the Kifaru 0 degree slick bag and Woobie combo.

But as with many things there are tradeoffs, synthetic bags lose loft over time, more so if you get crazy stuffing it as small as it will go on a frequent basis. Mine certainly isn't a 0 degree bag anymore. When it gets down into the teens I have to put clothes on and throw the Woobie over me in order to stay warm.

Don't aim right at the coldest expected temp, go under by 10 to 20 degrees, especially when using a synthetic.

What will I replace it with when the time comes?

I am giving very serious thought to a Zpacks water resistant down quilt. A 10 degree wide and long with a baffle will come in around 24 ounces, add a TiGoat or Borah bivy and that will take it down to 0 and still be under 2 pounds and I believe will be very water resistant.
 
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coOverwatch

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Thanks for the info Becca. My wife saw the double bag online and I quickly vetoed it as it was a little over $800. I like the price point on these bags, however the weight is a bit on the heavy side for backpacking.

LittleBuf – I looked at the Elightened quilt and it looks like a bag with no zipper. Is that true? Or does lay open like a blanket? I have come across a few plan for quilts/bags that have all the insulation on top and a CUBEN fiber bottom. The thought on no bottom insulation is that you do not get much R value on the bottom due to compression of the insulation. I am thinking of mocking something up with scrap fabric to see if I can create a hybrid quilt/bag.

At this point I might just get the Wiggy’s to replace the canvas bedrolls as they are closer to the 9lb mark without the bag and get a quilt to go over the 20* bags I have. that with the bugaboo II’s that are on the way I might be good. Then if I backpack next winter I can get a Polk and just pull everything behind me, or drag it out of the truck if car camping which probably will be the case if the kids are along.

Still undecided at this point.
 
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coOverwatch

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Okay, so the sleeping system is now taken care of.
I opted for a new ECWS GI system (with a few changes)

30* bag is 2.85 lbs
0* bag is 4 lbs
ID bugaboo 1lb 6oz
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core 14 oz

I got two setups for under $400. Had to get a setup for the wife as well.

I am figuring my normal setup would be the 0* bag with the bugaboo and BA pad which will put me around 6(ish) lbs.

Going out on a planned outing where the temps might get down to 0* I would probably take the over bag as well. Will be doing some testing during the remaining spring months to see how things work.

I also found a few older 15* Down bags that we do not use anymore that still have great loft and will be modifying them into quilts.

So I guess to answer another thread on where you are willing to carry a extra weight my answer would be in my sleeping system.

I also picked up a Stone Glacier Terminus with the approach bag and will be loading up my “Base” gear to see what the overall weight comes in at. Base gear will be sleeping system, 3Lwater balder, and First Aid kit.

Today I was getting ready to order the Bikini high camp for “her” but got busted. She said she didn’t need it as I would be hauling most of the gear and she could use the “eberle pack”. Guess my plan on getting both packs kind of backfired. :(
 
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To me it's what you're willing to pay the weight for- comfort and warmth are worth it to me when I'm "out there" to pay 5.5lbs.

xtherm pad (wide)- 20 oz.
Tarptent Double Rainbow (a mansion for one guy, everything goes in the shelter with you)- 41 oz.
EE Revelation X 10 degree quilt (wide)- 28 oz.
=5.5 pnds.
 
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Aron Snyder

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I'm with Darcy on this!

I run a different sleep system than Darcy, but it weighs just over 4 lbs and is well worth the $!
 

bcimport

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I guess it all comes down to how much money you have, what you want to carry and how warm you need to be. I have had a few bags over the years and have used Wiggys for the last 3 years. As said several times above they do weigh more than down and even some other synthetic models. That said I used my ultra light 20deg bag this year for a 10 day turned 14 day fly in sheep goat hunt in northern BC. It rained, sleeted and snowed for 13 of those days. The other two guys had down bags that packed smaller and weighed less. By the end of the trip they were cold and miserable as the bags were losing loft and everything was wet. We couldnt keep a fire going and it was impossible to dry anything with temps just above freezing. I slept as well the last night as I did the first night. The bag packs down just fine if you shove it in a Large Kifaru 5 string compression sack.

Other bags may have provided the same comfort for less weight but I enjoyed the big zipper, warmth, moisture management and the 130 dollar price tag for a piece of made in america equipment.

I looked at bags again this year and just cant justify spending 400-900 to save a couple pounds that may not insulate as well when conditions deteriorate.
 
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I guess it all comes down to how much money you have, what you want to carry and how warm you need to be. I have had a few bags over the years and have used Wiggys for the last 3 years. As said several times above they do weigh more than down and even some other synthetic models. That said I used my ultra light 20deg bag this year for a 10 day turned 14 day fly in sheep goat hunt in northern BC. It rained, sleeted and snowed for 13 of those days. The other two guys had down bags that packed smaller and weighed less. By the end of the trip they were cold and miserable as the bags were losing loft and everything was wet. We couldnt keep a fire going and it was impossible to dry anything with temps just above freezing. I slept as well the last night as I did the first night. The bag packs down just fine if you shove it in a Large Kifaru 5 string compression sack.

Other bags may have provided the same comfort for less weight but I enjoyed the big zipper, warmth, moisture management and the 130 dollar price tag for a piece of made in america equipment.

I looked at bags again this year and just cant justify spending 400-900 to save a couple pounds that may not insulate as well when conditions deteriorate.

I think if i was frequently hunting in wet conditions I'd choose a synthetic as well...
 
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